Electronic devices, such as servers, include a housing into which component sleds can be inserted. The component sleds contain a variety of electronic components that can be connected to each other via printed circuit boards (PCBs) or individual cables. The housing of the server can also contain other components, such as one or more backplanes that the sleds can connect to; a power socket into which an external power source can be connected; and an internal power cable which can connect the power socket (and thus the external power source) to the one or more backplanes and/or the component sleds.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a prior art server 10 that includes a housing 12 and a sled 14. The sled 14 can be slidably inserted into the housing 12 at a first end 13 of the housing 12. The sled 14 contains electronic components, such as dual in-line memory modules (DIMMs) 16A and 16B. The sled 14 may also include a signal cable (not shown) that connects various electronic components together. The signal cable can be positioned in a cable channel 18 that is defined between the DIMMs 16A and 16B. This allows the signal cable to connect component positioned on opposite sides of the DIMMs 16A and 16B.
The server 10 also contains a power socket 20 positioned at the first end 13 of the housing 12. The power socket 20 can connect to an external power source, for example via an external power cable (not shown). Inside of the housing 12, an internal power cable 22 connects to the power socket 20. The power cable 22 generally extends along the length of the housing 12, along a longitudinal axis L. The power cable 22 can connect to sled 14, or any backplanes (not shown) that the server 10 may have.
The width of the power socket 20 (e.g., the extent that the power socket 20 extends along a transverse axis T of the housing 12) is often larger than the width of the power cable 22. This creates an empty space 24 between the power cable 22 and the sled 14 when the sled 14 is inserted into the housing 12. For the signal cable to be positioned in the empty space 24 instead of the cable channel 18, the signal cable would need to be positioned adjacent to the sled 14. Prior to insertion, this signal cable would thus be aligned with the empty space 24.
However, the power socket 20 is also aligned with the empty space 24. Moreover, the combined width of the sled 14 and the power socket 20 is generally equal to the width of the housing 12. The power socket 20 thus forms an obstruction that would block the signal cable from entering the housing 12 if the signal able were to be positioned adjacent to the sled 14 prior to insertion. The signal cable thus cannot be positioned in the empty space 24 when the server 10 is fully assembled. Instead, the signal cable must be located in the cable channel 18. This leaves the empty space 24 unutilized, and reduces the amount of space on the sled 14 available for electronic components. Thus, there is a need for a server that decreases the amount of unused space within the housing, and also increases the amount of available space for electronic components on the sled.